September 04, 2006

by AnonymousThe decline of the anti-globalization movement in the US and the amazing surge of support by anarchists after the devastation of hurricane Katrina suggests a new political and tactical alignment is possible in North America.

Anarchists did an admirable job in infusing revolutionary ideals, tactics and discourse into the anti-globalization movement. Traditional reformists campaigns (e.g. anti-sweatshop) and mainstream unions (e.g. teamsters) were enticed to accept diversity of tactics, consensus, decentralization based on affinity groups and other core anarchist principles. We were able to tie these limited campaigns into our greater critique of the state and capital, while exposing many diverse folks to the ideas and dreams of anarchy. The latest antiwar (perhaps better described as anti-Iraq war) movement has been a failure for the North American anarchist movement, despite some serious efforts by San Francisco anarchists. Co-opted and manipulated by authoritarian front groups and non-revolutionary coalitions, the last anti-war movement quickly rejected many of the principles and un-learned the good practices that made the anti-globalization movements so dynamic and effective in this country. Convergences, trainings, skill-shares, spokes-councils, medical clinics, legal support teams, and free kitchens, disappeared overnight. Participation in the anti-war rallies became the atomizing, choreographed experience of leftist around the globe, where people were bused to the rally, walked around waiving their pitiful signs pre-made by one of the front-groups, listened to some tedious empty speeches, and then got back on the bus to return home content with the fulfillment of their democratic duty.

The aftermath of the State’s debacle in New Orleans following Katrina showed that there is still an active presence of anarchists in this country. Spontaneously groups moved to New Orleans and worked in their own communities to provide solidarity. Anarchists were the first to enlarge the critique of the government’s poor response bringing in questions of race, class, environmental justice and the militarization of the state aid. There are still hundreds of anarchists working and agitating in and around NOLA (New Orleans). The anarchist response featured the best practices of the anti-globalization movement (and core anarchist principles): skill shares/trainings; consensus; decentralized organizations; highlighting the inter-connectedness of oppressions, DIY work ethic and convergence.

Ironically there are perhaps more anarchists now than during the anti-globalization period, despite the relative lack of public resistance from anarchists. There are definitely more anarchist projects today than even a year ago: periodicals and zines; infoshops; community centers; web-sites; collective houses; farms; etc. but little in the way of active resistance to the State or Capital. This lack of visibility and inspiring actions has caused many anarchists to despair and feel that the “movement” is on the decline. Yet anarchists haven’t disappeared since 9/11, we are still working in our communities and launching new projects but there is a definite need for us to refocus our efforts.

We propose that anarchists need to work with the peak oil, permaculture and bioregional communities to better prepare ourselves for the new alignment that the response to Katrina has suggested. Our current relationship with the “permaculture communities” (including here all the sustainability, peak oil, environmental and energy crisis orientated groups and individuals) is similar to the relationships that build the success of the anti-globalization movement (relationships with anti-sweatshop campaigns, rank & file unionists, Earth Firsters, etc.). Most permaculturalists are liberal/leftists and many share our beliefs even if they do not call themselves anarchists. For the most part they are politically involved on the local level and opt for an alternative as opposed to a confrontational model for dealing with the State and Capital. This comes from a relatively privileged position most permaculturalists have with mainstream society. There has even been a creeping “green capitalism” strain in many eco-villages and permacultural communities. The peak oil and other crisis oriented folks tend to take a more radical and critical view of the State and world-wide Capitalism; however, their efforts have mostly been academic or marginalized. We believe these people are our natural allies in the new alignment. They possess an impressive infrastructure and useful skills and tactics for dealing with crisis in a sustainable way. Together we can show people that there are alternatives to rebuilding Babylon and that in crisis lays an opportunity to effective resist the deadening power of the State and Capital. Furthermore permaculturalists are our natural allies because we share many core organizing principles including: emphasis on skill share; DIY work ethic; horizontalism (sometimes); concern for the environment and consensus-based models of decision making. We believe that by combining our resources, ideas, dreams and passions we can genuinely challenge the hegemony of the State and Capitalism, especially in contested areas following inevitable crises. We know these crises will disproportionately affect poor and disenfranchised communities, communities anarchists have been working with for decades. Anarchists can provide an essential bridge between the sustainable philosophies and skills of the permaculturalists and the communities where these skills can be most effective in creating a new and sustainable world.

Anarchists need to learn from our permaculturalist comrades the skills that will enable us to help people who most need aid during times when the state and capital refuse to offer it. We need to learn to create sustainable autonomous zones that can seriously challenge the power of the Government and the Capital. This is a long term strategy, and time is running out, so we must act with decisiveness and diligence. We must put more emphasis on the contacts we already have within permaculturalist communities and at the same time create new alliances where old ones don’t exist. Anarchists need to support the radical permaculuralists, those who are already fighting against the “co-optation” of their community, those who oppose “green-capitalism” and environmental reformism. It is by working with such radicals that we can hope to connect the local with the global and show that any true alternative will need to be in confrontation with the Status Quo. Soon, as environmental, energy, economic, and political crises loom on the horizon, permaculturalists’ privileged position will be compromised and they will be forced to pick a side in the struggle against capitalism. Through mutual aid and active engagement, relying on the partnerships we’ve built with radical permaculturalists, we will be able to become a force for active change. Together with the permaculturalists we can infuse anarchism with a new vision more powerful than that of the anti-globalization movement, a vision that posits a world to fight for, not just against.